Both Numan's music and his transgressive public image are known for his sense of alien coldness and embrace of avant-garde influences. Becoming of the founding fathers of electronic-based pop music, Numan's reach extends far beyond his lone American hit, “Cars,” which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles. That seminal track helped usher in the synthpop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native England, where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hit-maker during the early 80s. Even after new wave had mostly petered out, Numan’s influence continued to make itself felt. His dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and (especially) industrial artists during the past several decades. For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and, by the late 90s, he’d become a hip name to drop. Prominent alternative rock bands have covered his hits, with Numan himself playing live with Nine Inch Nails briefly to much acclaim, and a goth-flavored brand of industrial-type music christened darkwave looks to him as its mentor.
Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in Hammersmith, West London, U.K. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk rock group called "The Lasers" in 1976. The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed "Tubeway Army", with drummer Bob Simmonds. They recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium [or Valerian], Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, "Tubeway Army" cut a set of "punk-meets-Kraftwerk" demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978. That work ended up being released several years later as 'The Plan'.
That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group’s debut album, 'Tubeway Army', appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie’s Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno, the album also displayed Numan’s fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam rock (such as in some works by Roxy Music and Ultravox) and Krautrock (such as in some works by Can). He also drew much influence from transgressive science fiction writers such as Philip K. Dick, people who challenged conventional thinking through exploring the affects of new technology.
The group’s second album, 'Replicas', was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?", was a left-field smash, topping the UK charts and sending 'Replicas' to number one on the album listings as well. The record also included “Down in the Park", an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan’s most 'gothic' outings.
Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced "Tubeway Army", keeping Gardiner on bass. "The Pleasure Principle" was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan’s international hit “Cars”, which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the UK; the album also became Numan’s second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.
Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with "Telekon", his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Ten hits with “We Are Glass” and “I Die: You Die”; “This Wreckage” later reached the Top 20.
In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of "Dance". While "Dance" and its lead single, “She’s Got Claws”, were both climbing into the British Top Ten, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with "I, Assassin", some of his popularity had dissipated - perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synthpop, much of which was already expanding on Numan’s early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive). "I, Assassin" was another Top Ten album, and “We Take Mystery (To Bed)” another major hit, but in general Numan’s singles were starting to slip on the charts; the title track of 1983’s "Warriors" became his last British Top Twenty hit (excluding reissues and collaborations).
Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with "Berserker" in late 1984. Sadly, longtime collaborator "Paul Gardiner" died earlier that year from a drug overdose. 1985’s "The Fury" became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 30. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with "Shakatak’s" Bill Sharpe, releasing four singles and one album from 1985-1989.
Following 1986’s "Strange Charm", Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start. IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988’s "Metal Rhythm" to "New Anger" for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film "The Unborn", and would not fund any supporting tours for "New Anger" or 1991’s "Outland". When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992’s "Machine + Soul".
1994 brought the release of the industrial-tinged "Sacrifice", the first glimmering of Numan’s return to critical favor and underground hipness. Over the next few years, bands like "Hole", "The Foo Fighters", and "Smashing Pumpkins" covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded “Down in the Park” for the B-side of the “Lunchbox” single; moreover, "Nine Inch Nails" cited Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997’s "Exile". However, he didn’t truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000’s "Pure", which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory.
In 2003, Numan enjoyed fleeting chart success once again with the "Gary Numan vs Rico" single “Crazier”, reaching No.13 in the U.K. chart. Rico, who is an up and coming artist from Glasgow, also worked on the remix album "Hybrid" which featured reworkings of older songs in a more contemporary industrial style. In 2004 Numan took control of his own business affairs again, launching the label Mortal Records and releasing a series of live DVDs as a precursor to his highly anticipated new studio album, "Jagged" which was released on 13 March 2006. An album launch gig took place at "The Forum, London" on 18 March 2006. Numan announced a UK tour commencing in April 2006 and plans to tour other countries, including the USA, during the year in support of the release. Numan also to launched a "Jagged" website to showcase the new album.
Numan contributed vocals to four tracks on the April 2007 release of Ade Fenton’s debut solo album "Artificial Perfect" on his new industrial/electronic label Submission, including songs “The Leather Sea”, “Slide Away”, “Recall” and the first single to be taken from the album, “Healing”. The second single to be released in the UK was “The Leather Sea” on July 30, 2007.
In 2008, he released a double CD remix album "Jagged Edge", based around 2006’s critically acclaimed "Jagged", co-produced with Ade Fenton. The pair are currently in the studio working on Numan’s 18th studio album "Splinter", due for release in 2009.
While Numan is known for his electronic music innovations, he prefers real instruments. He explained in an interview with Songfacts: "I didn't go the technology route wholeheartedly, the way Kraftwerk had done. I considered it to be a layer. I added to what we already had, and I wanted to merge that. There's plenty of things about guitar players, and bass players, and songs I really love that I didn't particularly want to get rid of. The only time I did get rid of guitars was on Pleasure Principle, and that was in fact a reaction to the press. I got a huge amount of hostility from the British press, particularly, when I first became successful. And Pleasure Principle was the first album I made after that success happened. I became successful in the early part of '79 and Pleasure Principle came out in the end of '79, in the UK, anyway. And there was a lot of talk about electronic music being cold and weak and all that sort of stuff. So I made Pleasure Principle to try to prove a point, that you could make a contemporary album that didn't have guitar in it, but still had enough power and would stand up well. That's the only reason that album didn't have guitar in it. But apart from that one album they've all had guitars - that was the blueprint."
The official website can be found here: www.garynuman.co.uk
Stories
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where it's reasonably quiet
Drinking coffee with cream
Thinking stories of young love
She calls to the waiter
'Won't you lend me some time?
You can sit by my side
And I'll let you be friends with mine.'
The cafe is old
But the candlelight's new
She orders Beaujolais wine
And says 'I've thought of you too'
She whispers 'isn't it odd
You remind me of songs
That I'd rather forget
Like feelings I longed for
You haunt me inside
Sometimes I recall
Question mistakes
Who grew to nothing at all'
I hear voices that cry
And one of them's mine
All the things I could say
Are the reasons I can't
She says 'I've seen you before
In thoughts I call 'son'
Like an old film with sound
When the link comes undone'
The waiter is me
And the woman is you
And we are the story
Just like others I knew
In Gary Numan's song "Stories," the listener is transported to a cafe where a woman sits alone in the corner, lost in her thoughts. She orders coffee with cream and thinks of stories of young love. When she calls the waiter over, she asks for his time and invites him to sit with her as a friend. She orders wine and admits that the man in front of her reminds her of songs that she'd rather forget. She speaks of haunting feelings from mistakes that grew into nothing at all. She hears voices that could speak the truth, but she keeps them to herself, indicating that the reason she can't speak up is because of those very same voices. Towards the end of the song, she tells the waiter that she's seen him before- in her thoughts that she has labeled 'son' like an old film with sound where the link falls apart.
The song's lyrics paint a picture of someone who is struggling with moving on from a romantic relationship, facing those old and haunting feelings that have been difficult to shake. She discusses the feeling of falling short and the inability to speak her truth. Additionally, the song provides intimate imagery, as if the listener is right there in the cafe with her, seeing it all unfold. In summary, Gary Numan's song "Stories" tells the story of a woman in a cafe who reminisces about her past and is struggling to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
She sits in the corner
The subject of the song is in a cafe, seated in a corner.
Where it's reasonably quiet
The cafe is not very crowded or noisy.
Drinking coffee with cream
The subject is consuming coffee with an added cream.
Thinking stories of young love
The subject is reminiscing about tales of romantic relationships from the past.
She calls to the waiter
The subject is signalling to the nearby waiter.
'Won't you lend me some time?
The subject requests the waiter's company.
You can sit by my side
The subject offers a seat to the waiter.
And I'll let you be friends with mine.'
The subject is proposing a friendship between herself and the waiter.
The cafe is old
The cafe has been in existence for a long time.
But the candlelight's new
The candles that light the cafe have been recently changed.
She orders Beaujolais wine
The subject requests a glass of wine.
And says 'I've thought of you too'
The subject reveals that she has been thinking of the waiter as well.
She whispers 'isn't it odd
The subject speaks softly to herself.
You remind me of songs
The subject draws a comparison between the waiter and a song.
That I'd rather forget
The songs that the subject is reminded of are unpleasant or painful memories.
Like feelings I longed for
The subject connects the songs to past emotions that she longed for.
You haunt me inside
The waiter's presence reminds the subject of her past and troubles her.
Sometimes I recall
At times, the subject remembers her past experiences.
Question mistakes
The subject ponders errors or regrets she's made in the past.
Who grew to nothing at all'
The subject reflects on relationships that ultimately failed.
I hear voices that cry
The subject seems to be able to hear voices that are upset.
And one of them's mine
One of the voices that is crying belongs to the subject.
All the things I could say
The subject has many things to express but is unable to.
Are the reasons I can't
The subject is unable to communicate because of certain reasons.
She says 'I've seen you before
The subject now speaks directly to the waiter.
In thoughts I call 'son'
The subject describes some of the thoughts she's had about the waiter.
Like an old film with sound
The subject compares her memories to an old, slightly degraded film.
When the link comes undone'
The subjects memories become fragmented or disconnected.
The waiter is me
The waiter in the song is actually the singer himself.
And the woman is you
The woman in the song is the subject of the song and has been speaking about her thoughts and emotions.
And we are the story
The conversation between the subject and the waiter is the story from the song.
Just like others I knew
The story of the song is like others the singer has known.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind